CHAPTER XXV

Cuba and Porto Rico.

Conditions In and Around Havana--Fortifications and Water Supply of the

Capital City--Other Sections of the Pearl of the Antilles--Porto Rico,

Our New Possession, Described--Size and Population--Natural Resources

and Products--Climatic Conditions--Towns and Cities--Railroads and

Other Improvements--Future Possibilities.

There was the fortune of good judgment in attacking the Spaniards in

Cuba at Santiago and Porto Rico, the points of Spanish possession in

the West Indies farthest south and east, instead of striking at the

west, landing at Pinar del Rio, the western province, and moving upon

the fortifications of Havana, where the difficulties and dangers that

proved so formidable at Santiago would have been quadrupled, and our

losses in the field and hospital excessive. The unpreparedness of this

country for war has not even up to this time been appreciated except

by military experts and the most intelligent and intent students of

current history. The military notes prepared in the War Department

of the United States at the beginning of the war with Spain, contain

the following of Santiago de Cuba:

This city was founded in 1514, and the famous Hernando was its first

mayor. It is the most southern place of any note on the island,

being on the twentieth degree of latitude, while Havana, the most

northern point of note, is 23 degrees 9 minutes 26 seconds north

latitude. The surrounding country is very mountainous, and the city

is built upon a steep slope; the public square, or Campo de Marte, is

140 to 160 feet above the sea, and some of the houses are located 200

feet high. The character of the soil is reported to be more volcanic

than calcareous; it has suffered repeatedly from earthquakes. It is

the second city in the island with regard to population, slightly

exceeding that of Matanzas and Puerto Principe. So far as American

commerce is concerned, it ranks only ninth among the fifteen Cuban

ports of entry. It is located on the extreme northern bank of the

harbor of Santiago de Cuba, a harbor of the first class and one of the

smallest; hence, as is believed, the great liability of its shipping

to infection. According to the chart of the Madrid hydrographic

bureau, 1863, this harbor is, from its sea entrance to its extreme

northern limit, 5 miles long, the city being located 4 miles from

its entrance, on the northeastern side of the harbor. The entrance

is for some little distance very narrow--not more than 220 yards

wide--and may be considered about 2 miles long, with a width varying

from one-eighth to five-eighths of a mile. For the remaining 3 miles

the harbor gradually widens, until at its northern extremity it is

about 2 miles wide. The city is so situated in a cove of the harbor

that the opposite shore is only about one-half mile distant. At the

wharves from 10 to 15 feet of water is found, and within 300 to 500

yards of the shore from 20 to 30 feet. This, therefore, is probably

the anchorage ground. Three or more so-called rivers, besides other

streams, empty into this harbor, and one of these, the Caney River,

empties into the harbor at the northern limit of the city, so that

its water flows from one island extremity through the whole harbor

into the sea. The difference here, as elsewhere in Cuba, between

low and high tide is about 2 feet. Population in 1877 was 40,835,

and 5,100 houses. This city is one of the most noted yellow-fever

districts in the island. The population in 1896 was 42,000.

The following has been reported:

Preparations for mounting new and heavy ordnance is now going on at

the entrance of the bay (March 5, 1898).

New and heavier guns are also ordered for Punta Blanca, on the right

of the bay near Santiago City.

Plans have been made for constructing two batteries in the city of

Santiago, one about 25 yards in front of the American consulate and

the other about two blocks in rear.

Cayo Rolones, or Rat Island, located near the middle of the bay, is

the Government depository for powder, dynamite, and other explosives.

The elevation on the right of the entrance, where stands Castle

Morro, is 40 yards above the sea level, while the hill on the left

is 20 yards.

"La Bateria Nueva de la Estrella" is mounted with four revolving

cannons.

The fortifications of Havana were carefully covered in the military

notes, and thus enumerated:

There are fifteen fortifications in and about the city of Havana,

more or less armed and garrisoned, besides a work partly constructed

and not armed, called Las Animas, and the old bastions along the sea

wall of the harbor. These works are as follows:

Nos. 1 and 2 are earthen redans on the sea coast, east of Havana.

Velazo Battery, just east of, and a part of, El Morro.

El Morro, a sea coast fort, with flanking barbette batteries, east

of harbor entrance.

The Twelve Apostles, a water battery lying at the foot of Morro,

with a field of fire across the harbor's mouth. It is a part of Morro.

La Cabana, a stone-bastioned work with both land and water front,

in rear of El Morro, and directly opposite the city of Havana.

San Diego, a stone-bastioned work with only land fronts, east of

Cabana.

Atares, a stone-bastioned work on hill at southwestern extremity of

Havana Bay, near the old shipyard called the arsenal.

San Salvador de la Punta, a stone-bastioned work west of harbor

entrance, with small advanced and detached work, built on a rock near

harbor mouth.

La Reina, a stone work, in shape the segment of a circle, placed on the

seacoast, at western limits of city, on an inlet called San Lazardo.

Santa Clara, a small but powerful seacoast battery of stone and earth,

placed about 1 1/2 miles west of harbor.

El Principe, a stone-bastioned redoubt west of Havana.

Nos. 3 A, 3 B, and 4 are earthen redans on the seacoast west of Havana.

There are, in addition, several works built for defense, but now used

for other purposes or abandoned. These are:

The Torreon de Vigia, a martello tower placed on the inlet of San

Lazaro opposite La Reina.

The old fort called La Fuerza, built three hundred and fifty years

ago, near the present Plaza de Armas, and now used for barracks and

public offices.

The work called San Nazario, situated north of El Principe, but now

used in connection with the present cartridge factory, abandoned for

defensive purposes.

The partially constructed fort called Las Animas, southeast of

Principe, lying on a low hill, partly built but useless and unarmed.

The old sea wall extending from near La Punta to the Plaza de Armas,

unarmed, and useless except as a parapet for musketry.

The old arsenal, on the west of the inner bay, now used as repair

works for ships, useless for defense.

The old artillery and engineer storehouses near La Punta, probably

once used as strongholds, now mere storehouses for munitions of war.

There are, besides, in the vicinity of Havana, three old and now

useless stone works--one at Chorrera, the mouth of the Almendarez

River, about 4 miles from Havana harbor; another at Cojimar, on the

coast, about 3 miles eastward of Cabana, and the third at the inlet

called La Playa de Mariano, about 7 miles west of Havana.

Batteries Nos. 1 and 2 were equipped with, No. 1, four Hontoria

6-inch guns; two Nordenfeldt 6-pounders; No. 2, two Krupp 12-inch

guns; four Hontoria 3-inch mortars. The 12-inch Krupps were to stand

off battleships attempting to force the harbor, or to bombard the

Morro. The Valago battery, a part of the Morro, an out-work on the

edge of the cliff, mounting four 11-inch Krupp guns separated by

earth traverses.

The Morro, commenced in 1589 and finished in 1597, is important for

historical associations. It is a most picturesque structure, and is

useful as a lighthouse and prison, and is mounted with twelve old

10-inch, eight old 8-inch, and fourteen old 4-inch guns.

Cabana, finished in 1774 at a cost of $14,000,000, lies some 500

yards southeast of El Morro, on the east side of Havana Bay. Toward

the city it exposes a vertical stone wall of irregular trace, with

salients at intervals. Toward the Morro is a bastioned face protected

by a deep ditch, sally port, and drawbridge. Eastward and southward a

beautifully constructed land front incloses the work. This front is

protected by ditches 40 or more feet deep, well constructed glacis,

stone scarp, and counterscarp. Cabana is a magnificent example of the

permanent fortifications constructed a century ago. Probably 10,000

men could be quartered in it.

The entrance to Cabana is by the sally port that opens upon the bridge

across the moat lying between Cabana and El Morro. Upon entering, the

enormous extent of the work begins to be perceived, parapet within

parapet, galleries, casemates, and terrepleins almost innumerable,

all of stone and useless. There are no earth covers or traverses,

and no protection against modern artillery.

Cabana is the prison for offenders against the State, and the scene

of innumerable executions. From an exterior or salient corner of the

secretary's office of the headquarters there leads a subterranean

passage 326 meters long, 2.5 meters wide, and 1.86 high, excavated in

the rock. It conducts to the sea, debouching at the mouth of a sewer,

87 meters from the Morro wharf. At exactly 132 meters along the

road rising from the Morro pier or wharf to the Cabana, there will

be found by excavating the rock on the left of the road, at a depth

of 3 meters, a grating, on opening which passage will be made into

a road 107 meters long, 1.6 high, and 1.42 wide, leading to the same

exit as the Cabana secret way. These passages are most secret, as all

believe that the grating of the sewer, seen from the sea, is a drain.

The battery of Santa Clara is the most interesting of the

fortifications of Havana, and one of the most important. It lies about

100 yards from the shore of the gulf, at a point where the line of

hills to the westward runs back (either naturally or artificially)

into quarries, thus occupying a low salient backed by a hill. Here

are three new Krupp 11-inch guns, designed to protect El Principe,

the land side of Havana. It is 187 feet above sea level and completely

dominates Havana, the bay, Morro, Cabana, the coast northward, Atares,

and from east around to south, the approaches of the Marianao Road,

Cristina, and the Western Railroad for about 3 kilometers, i.e.,

between Cristina and a cut at that distance from the station. Principe

gives fire upon Tulipan, the Cerro, the Hill of the Jesuits, and the

valley through which passes the Havana Railroad, sweeping completely

with its guns the railroad as far as the cut at Cienaga, 2-1/2 to

3 miles away. It dominates also the hills southward and westward

toward Puentes Grandes and the Almendarez River, and country extending

toward Marianao, also the Calzada leading to the cemetery and toward

Chorrera; thence the entire sea line (the railroad to Chorrera is

partly sheltered by the slope leading to Principe. This is by all

means the strongest position about Havana which is occupied. Lying

between it and the hill of the Cerro is the hill of the Catalan Club,

right under the guns of the work and about one-half mile away. The

Marianao Road is more sheltered than the Havana, as it runs near the

trees and hill near the Cerro. The only points which dominate the

hill of the Principe lie to the south and southeast in the direction

of Jesus del Monte and beyond Regla. On its southern, southeastern,

and southwestern faces the hill of Principe is a steep descent to the

calzada and streets below. The slope is gradual westward and around

by the north. From this hill is one of the best views of Havana and

the valley south. El Principe lies about one-half mile from the north

coast, from which hills rise in gradual slopes toward the work. It is

Havana gossip that El Principe is always held by the Spanish regiment

in which the Captain-General has most confidence. The military notes

pronounce El Principe undoubtedly the strongest natural position about

Havana now occupied by defensive works. Its guns sweep the heights

of the Almendares, extending from the north coast southward by the

hills of Puentes Grandes to the valley of Cienaga, thence eastward

across the Hill of the Jesuits and the long line of trees and houses

leading to the Cerro. The country beyond the Cerro is partly sheltered

by trees and hills, but eastward El Principe commands in places the

country and the bay shore, and gives fire across Havana seaward.

The most vulnerable spot in the defenses of Havana is the aqueduct

of Isabella II, or the Vento. The water is from the Vento Springs,

pure and inexhaustable, nine miles out of Havana.

All three of the water supplies to Havana, the Zanja and the

two aqueducts of Ferdinand VII and of the Vento, proceed from the

Almendares and run their course near to each other, the farthest to

the west being the Zanja and to the east the Vento.

At Vento Springs is constructed a large stone basin, open at the

bottom, through which springs bubble. From this reservoir the new

aqueduct leads. It is an elliptical tunnel of brick, placed under

ground, and marked by turrets of brick and stone placed along its

course.

From the Vento Reservoir the new aqueduct crosses the low valley

south of Havana, following generally the Calzada de Vento, which

becomes, near the Cerro, the Calzada de Palatino, to a point on the

Western Railway marked 5 kilometers (about); hence the calzada and

the aqueduct closely follow the railway for about a mile, terminating

at a new reservoir.

The Vento water is the best thing Havana has, and indispensable. The

old sources of supply are intolerable. The main water supply is the

Zanja. Throughout the most of its course this river flows through

unprotected mud banks; the fluids of many houses, especially in the

Cerro ward which it skirts, drain into them; men, horses, and dogs

bathe in it; dead bodies have been seen floating in it, and in the

rainy season the water becomes very muddy. In fine, the Zanja in its

course receives all which a little brook traversing a village and

having houses and back yards on its banks would receive. The water can

not be pure, and to those who know the facts the idea of drinking it is

repulsive. This supply had long been insufficient to the growing city,

and in 1835 the well-protected and excellent aqueduct of Ferdinand

VII was completed. It taps the Almendares River a few hundred yards

above filters mentioned, hence carried by arches to the east El Cerro,

and for some distance nearly parallel to the Calzada del Cerro, but

finally intersecting this. These works are succeeded by the Famous

Vento. When Havana is fought for hereafter the fight will be at the

Vento Springs. This remark is not made in the military notes, but the

military men know it well. When General Miles expected to attack Havana

he procured all the accessible surveys and detail of information,

official and through special observation and personal knowledge

obtainable of the water works. Life could not be sustained many days

in the city of Havana without the water of the adorable Vento.

A special interest attaches to Havana, as it is to be a city under

the control of the United States. The surface soil consists for the

most part of a thin layer of red, yellow, or black earths. At varying

depths beneath this, often not exceeding 1 or 2 feet, lie the solid

rocks. These foundation rocks are, especially in the northern and more

modern parts of the city toward the coast of the sea and not of the

harbor, Quarternary, and especially Tertiary, formations, so permeable

that liquids emptied into excavations are absorbed and disappear.

In other parts of the city the rocks are not permeable, and pools are

formed. In proportion as the towns of Cuba are old, the streets are

narrow. In Havana this peculiarity is so positive that pedestrians

cannot pass on the sidewalks, nor vehicles on the streets. Less than

one-third of the population live on paved streets, and these are as

well paved and kept as clean, it is believed cleaner, than is usual

in the United States. The remainder live on unpaved streets, which,

for the most part, are very filthy. Many of these, even in old and

densely populated parts of the city, are no better than rough country

roads, full of rocks, crevices, mud holes, and other irregularities,

so that vehicles traverse them with difficulty at all times, and in

the rainy season they are sometimes impassible for two months. Rough,

muddy, or both, these streets serve admirably as permanent receptacles

for much decomposing animal and vegetable matter. Finally, not less,

probably more, than one-half the population of Havana live on streets

which are constantly in an extremely insanitary condition, but these

streets, though so numerous, are not in the beaten track of the

pleasure tourist.

In the old intramural city, in which live about 40,000 people, the

streets vary in width, but generally they are 6.8 meters (about 22

feet) wide, of which the sidewalks occupy about 7.5 feet. In many

streets the sidewalk at each side is not even 18 inches wide. In the

new, extramural town, the streets are generally 10 meters (32.8 feet)

wide, with 3 meters (nearly 10 feet) for the sidewalks, and 7 meters

(23 feet) for the wagonway. There are few sidewalks in any except in

the first four of the nine city districts.

More than two-thirds of the population live in densely inhabited

portions of the city, where the houses are crowded in contact with

each other. The average house lot does not exceed 27 by 112 feet

in size. There are 17,259 houses, of which 15,494 are one-story,

1,552 are two stories, 186 are three stories, and only 27 are four

stories, with none higher. At least 12 in every 13 inhabitants live

in one-story houses; and as the total civil, military, and transient

population exceeds 200,000 there are more than 12 inhabitants to every

house. Tenement houses may have many small rooms, but each room is

occupied by a family. Generally the one-story houses have four or

five rooms; but house rent, as also food and clothing, is rendered

so expensive by taxation, by export as well as import duties, that it

is rare for workmen, even when paid $50 to $100 a month, to enjoy the

exclusive use of one of these mean little houses; reserving one or two

rooms for his family, he rents the balance. This condition of affairs

is readily understood when it is known that so great a necessity as

flour cost in Havana $15.50 when its price in the United States was

$6.50 per barrel.

In the densely populated portions of the city the houses generally

have no back yard, properly so called, but a flagged court, or narrow

vacant space into which sleeping rooms open at the side, and in close

proximity with these, at the rear of this contracted court are located

the kitchen, the privy, and often a stall for animals. In the houses of

the poor, that is, of the vast majority of the population, there are

no storerooms, pantries, closets, or other conveniences for household

supplies. These are furnished from day to day, even from meal to meal,

by the corner groceries; and it is rare, in large sections of Havana,

to find any one of the four corners of a square without a grocery.

The walls of most of the houses in Havana are built of "mamposteria"

or rubble masonry, a porous material which freely absorbs atmospheric

as well as ground moisture. The mark of this can often be seen high on

the walls, which varies from 2 to 7 feet in the houses generally. The

roofs are excellent, usually flat, and constructed of brick tiles. The

windows are, like the doors, unusually high, nearly reaching the

ceiling, which, in the best houses only, is also unusually high. The

windows are never glazed, but protected by strong iron bars on the

outside and on the inside by solid wooden shutters, which are secured,

like the doors, with heavy bars or bolts, and in inclement weather

greatly interfere with proper ventilation. Fireplaces with chimneys

are extremely rare, so that ventilation depends entirely on the doors

and windows, which, it should be stated, are by no means unusually

large in most of the sleeping rooms of the poor. Generally in Havana,

less generally in other cities, the entrances and courtyards are

flagged with stone, while the rooms are usually floored with tile

or marble. With rare exceptions the lowest floor is in contact with

the earth. Ventilation between the earth and floor is rarely seen in

Cuba. In Havana the average height of the ground floor is from 7 to

11 inches above the pavement, but in Havana, and more frequently in

other Cuban towns, one often encounters houses which are entered by

stepping down from the sidewalk, and some floors are even below the

level of the street. In Havana some of the floors, in Matanzas more,

in Cardenas and Cienfuegos many are of the bare earth itself, or of

planks raised only a few inches above the damp ground.

The narrow entrance about 400 yards in width and 1,200 in length,

opens into the irregular harbor, which has three chief coves or

indentations, termed "ensenadas." The extreme length of the harbor

from its sea entrance to the limit of the most distant ensenada is 3

miles, and its extreme breadth 1-1/2 miles; but within the entrance

the average length is only about 1, and the average breadth about

two-thirds of a mile. However, because of the irregularly projecting

points of land which form the ensenadas, there is no locality in the

harbor where a vessel can possibly anchor farther than 500 yards from

the shore. Its greatest depth is about 40 feet, but the anchorage

ground for vessels drawing 18 feet of water is very contracted, not

exceeding one-half the size of the harbor. The rise and fall of the

tide does not exceed 2 feet.

The Cuban city next in celebrity to Havana is Matanzas, and it is

one likely to become a favorite of Americans, as the country in

the vicinity is distinguished by beauty as well as remarkable for

fertility. Matanzas was first regularly settled in 1693. It is in the

province of Matanzas, 54 miles west of Havana, by the most direct

of the two railroads which unite these two cities, and is situated

on the western inland extremity of the bay of Matanzas, a harbor of

the first class. Matanzas is divided into three districts, viz, the

central district of Matanzas, which, about half a mile in width across

the center of population, lies between the two little rivers, San Juan

to the south, and the Yumuri to the north; the Pueblo Nuevo district,

south of the San Juan, and around the inland extremity of the harbor;

and the district of Versalles, north of the Yumuri, nearest to the

open sea, as also to the anchorage ground, and, sanitarily, the best

situated district in the city. About two-thirds of the population are

in the district of Matanzas, and the Pueblo Nuevo district has about

double the population of Versalles. Pueblo Nuevo stands on ground

originally a swamp, and is low, flat, and only 3 or 4 feet above the

sea. The Matanzas district has many houses on equally low ground,

on the harbor front, and on the banks of the two rivers which inclose

this district; but from the front and between these rivers the ground

ascends, so that its houses are from 2 to even 100 feet above the sea;

however, the center of population, the public square, is only about

20 feet above sea level. Versalles is on a bluff of the harbor, and

its houses are situated, for the most part, from 15 to 40 feet above

the sea. The district of Matanzas has ill constructed and useless

sewers in only two streets, and no houses connected therewith. So

much of this district and of Versalles as is built on the hill slope

is naturally well drained, but the Pueblo Nuevo district, and those

parts of Matanzas built in immediate proximity to the banks of the

river, are very ill drained.

Since 1872 Matanzas has had an aqueduct from the Bello spring, 7 miles

distant. The supply is alleged to be both abundant and excellent. But

of the 4,710 houses in the city 840 stand on the hills outside

the zone supplied by the waterworks, while of the remaining 3,870

houses within this zone only about 2,000 get their water from the

waterworks company. Hence more than half of the houses of Matanzas

(2,710) do for the most part get their supply in kegs by purchase in

the streets. There are a few public fountains, as also some dangerous

wells. The streets are 30 feet wide, with 24 feet wagon way. Few of

them are paved, some are very poor roads, but, for the most part,

these roads are in good condition. In the Matanzas district some

of the streets are of solid stone, and natural foundation rock of

the place, for the superficial soil is so thin that the foundation

rocks often crop out. Of this very porous rock most of the houses

are built. The houses have wider fronts, larger air spaces in rear,

are not so crowded, and are better ventilated than the houses of

Havana. As is usual in Cuba, the ground floors are generally on a

level with the sidewalk, and some are even below the level of the

streets. A heavy rain floods many of the streets of Matanzas, the

water running back into and beneath the houses. The porous limestone

of which the houses are built greatly favors absorption.

The population of Matanzas and suburbs was about 50,000 at the

beginning of the war.

Porto Rico is not quite as large as Connecticut, but larger than

the States of Delaware and Rhode Island. The climate of the island

is delightful, and its soil exceedingly rich. In natural resources

it is of surpassing opulence. The length of the island is about one

hundred miles, and its breadth thirty-five, the general figure of it

being like the head of a sperm whale. The range of mountains is from

east to west, and nearly central. The prevalent winds are from the

northwest, and the rainfall is much heavier on the northern shores and

mountain slopes than on the southern. The height of the ridge is on

the average close to 1,500 feet, one bold peak, the Anvil being 3,600

feet high. The rainy north and the droughty south, with the lift of the

land from the low shores to the central slopes and rugged elevations,

under the tropical sun, with the influence of the great oceans east,

south and north, and the multitude of western and southern islands,

give unusual and charming variety in temperature. Porto Rico is, by

the American people, even more than the Spaniards, associated with

Cuba. But it is less than a tenth of Cuban proportions. Porto Rico

has 3,600 square miles to Cuba's 42,000, but a much greater proportion

of Porto Rico than of Cuba is cultivated. Less than one-sixteenth of

the area of Cuba has been improved, and while her population is but

1,600,000, according to the latest census, and is not so much now,

Porto Rico, with less than a tenth of the land of Cuba, has half the

number of inhabitants. Largely Porto Rico is peopled by a better class

than the mass of the Cubans. Cuba is wretchedly provided with roads,

one of the reasons why the Spaniards were incapable of putting down

insurrections. If they had expended a fair proportion of the revenues

derived from the flourishing plantations and the monopolies of Spanish

favoritisms that built up Barcelona and enriched Captain-Generals, and

in less degree other public servants, the rebellions would have been

put down. The Spanish armies in Cuba, however, were rather managed

for official speculation and peculation, were more promenaders than

in military enterprise and the stern business of war. With Weyler for

an opponent, Gomez, as a guerilla, could have dragged on a series of

skirmishes indefinitely. The story of the alleged war in Cuba between

the Spaniards and the Cubans was on both sides falsified, and the

American people deceived. Porto Rico does not seem to have appealed so

strongly to the cupidity of the Spaniards as Cuba did, and to have been

governed with less brutality. The consequence is there has not been a

serious insurrection in the smaller island for seventy years, and it

falls into our possession without the impoverishment and demoralization

of the devastation of war--one of the fairest gems of the ocean.

It was October 18th that the American flag was raised over San

Juan. The following dispatch is the official record:

"San Juan, Porto Rico, Oct. 18.--Secretary of War, Washington, D.C.:

Flags have been raised on public buildings and forts in this city

and saluted with national salutes. The occupation of the island is

now complete.

"_Brooke_, Chairman."

On the morning of the 18th, the 11th regular infantry with two

batteries of the 5th artillery landed. The latter proceeded to the

forts, while the infantry lined up on the docks. It was a holiday

for San Juan and there were many people in the streets. Rear-Admiral

Schley and General Gordon, accompanied by their staffs, proceeded to

the palace in carriages. The 11th infantry regiment and band with

Troop H, of the 6th United States cavalry then marched through the

streets and formed in the square opposite the palace.

At 11:40 a. m., General Brooke, Admiral Schley and General Gordon, the

United States evacuation commissioners, came out of the palace with

many naval officers and formed on the right side of the square. The

streets behind the soldiers were thronged with townspeople, who stood

waiting in dead silence.

At last the city clock struck 12, and the crowds, almost breathless

and with eyes fixed upon the flagpole, watched for developments. At

the sound of the first gun from Fort Morro, Major Dean and Lieutenant

Castle, of General Brooke's staff, hoisted the stars and stripes,

while the band played "The Star Spangled Banner." All heads were bared

and the crowds cheered. Fort Morro, Fort San Cristobal and the United

States revenue cutter Manning, lying in the harbor, fired twenty-one

guns each.

Senor Munoz Rivera, who was president of the recent autonomist council

of secretaries, and other officials of the late insular government

were present at the proceedings. Many American flags were displayed.

Acknowledgment has been made of the better condition of Porto Rico than

of Cuba, but the trail of the serpent of colonial Spanish government

appears. Mr. Alfred Somamon writes in the Independent:

"The internal administration of the island disposes of a budget of

about $3,300,000, and is a woeful example of corrupt officialism. Of

this sum only about $650,000 is expended in the island, the

remainder being applied to payment of interest on public debt,

salaries of Spanish officials, army, navy, and other extra-insular

expenditures. But the whole of the revenue is collected in the island."

An article of great value by Eugene Deland, appeared in the Chatauquan

of September, on the characteristics of Porto Rico, and we present

an extract, showing its admirable distinction of accurate information

well set forth:

"The mountain slopes are covered with valuable timbers, cabinet

and dye-woods, including mahogany, walnut, lignum vitae, ebony, and

logwood, and various medicinal plants. Here, too, is the favorite

zone of the coffee tree, which thrives best one thousand feet above

sea level. The valleys and plains produce rich harvests of sugar-cane

and tobacco. The amount of sugar yielded by a given area is said to

be greater than in any other West Indian island. Rice, of the mountain

variety and grown without flooding, nourishes almost any place and is

a staple food of the laboring classes. In addition to these products

cotton and maize are commonly cultivated, and yams, plantains, oranges,

bananas, cocoanuts, pineapples, and almost every other tropical fruit

are grown in abundance. Among indigenous plants are several noted for

their beautiful blossoms. Among these are the coccoloba, which grows

mainly along the coasts and is distinguished by its large, yard-long

purple spikes, and a talauma, with magnificent, ororous, white flowers.

"Of wild animal life Porto Rico has little. No poisonous serpents

are found, but pestiferous insects, such as tarantulas, centipedes,

scorpions, ticks, fleas, and mosquitos, supply this deficiency in a

measure. All sorts of domestic animals are raised, and the excellent

pasture-lands support large herds of cattle for export and home

consumption, and ponies, whose superiority is recognized throughout

the West Indies.

"The mineral wealth of the island is undeveloped, but traces of

gold, copper, iron, lead, and coal are found. Salt is procured in

considerable quantities from the lakes.

"Porto Rico carries on an extensive commerce, chiefly with Spain,

the United States, Cuba, Germany, Great Britain, and France. In

1895 the volume of its trade was one-half greater than that of the

larger British colony--Jamaica. The United States ranks second in

amount of trade with the island. During the four years from 1893-96

Spain's trade with the colony averaged $11,402,888 annually, and the

United States, $5,028,544. The total value of Porto Rican exports for

1896 was $18,341,430, and of imports, $18,282,690, making a total of

$36,624,120, which was an excess over any previous year. The exports

consist almost entirely of agricultural products. In 1895 coffee

comprised about sixty per cent, and sugar about twenty-eight per cent,

of their value; leaf tobacco, molasses, and honey came next. Maize,

hides, fruits, nuts, and distilled spirits are also sent out in

considerable quantities. Over one-half of the coffee exported goes to

Spain and Cuba, as does most of the tobacco, which is said to be used

in making the finest Havana cigars; the sugar and molasses are, for

the most part, sent to the United States. Among imports, manufactured

articles do not greatly exceed agricultural. Rice, fish, meat and lard,

flour, and manufactured tobacco are the principal ones. Customs duties

furnish about two-thirds of the Porto Rican revenue, which has for

several years yielded greater returns to Spain than that of Cuba.

"The climate of Porto Rico is considered the healthiest in the

Antilles. The heat is considerably less than at Santiago de Cuba, a

degree and a half farther north. The thermometer seldom goes above 90

degrees. Pure water is readily obtained in most of the island. Yellow

fever seldom occurs, and never away from the coast. The rainy season

begins the first of June and ends the last of December, but the heavy

downpours do not come on until about August 1st.

"In density of population also this island ranks first among the

West Indies, having half as many inhabitants as Cuba, more than

eleven times as large. Of its 807,000 people, 326,000 are colored

and many of the others of mixed blood. They differ little from other

Spanish-Americans, being fond of ease, courteous, and hospitable,

and, as in other Spanish countries, the common people are illiterate,

public education having been grievously neglected. The natives are the

agriculturists of the country, and are a majority in the interior,

while the Spaniards, who control business and commerce, are found

mainly in the towns and cities.

"The numerous good harbors have naturally dotted the seaboard with

cities and towns of greater or less commercial importance. San Juan,

Ponce, Mayaguez, Aguadilla, Arecibo and Fajardo all carry on extensive

trade. Intercourse between coast towns is readily had by water, but is

to be facilitated by a railroad around the island, of which 137 miles

have been built and 170 miles more projected. The public highways of

the island are in better condition than one might expect. According to

a recent report of United States Consul Stewart, of San Juan, there

are about one hundred and fifty miles of good road. The best of this

is the military highway connecting Ponce on the southern coast with

San Juan on the northern. This is a macadamized road, so excellently

built and so well kept up that a recent traveler in the island says a

bicycle corps could go over it without dismounting. Whether it is solid

enough to stand the transportation of artillery and heavy army trains

we shall soon know. Of telegraph lines Porto Rico has four hundred

and seventy miles, and two cables connect it with the outside world,

one running from Ponce and the other from San Juan."

Mr. Alfred Solomon, already quoted as an instructive contributor to

the Independent, writes:

"The population of Porto Rico, some 800,000, is essentially

agricultural. A varied climate, sultry in the lowlands, refreshing and

invigorating in the mountain ranges, makes possible the cultivation of

almost every variety of known crop--sugar, tobacco, coffee, annatto,

maze, cotton and ginger are extensively grown; but there are still

thousands of acres of virgin lands awaiting the capitalist. Tropical

fruits flourish in abundance, and the sugar-pine is well known

in our market, where it brings a higher price than any other pine

imported. Hardwood and fancy cabinet wood trees fill the forests, and

await the woodman's ax. Among these are some specimens of unexampled

beauty, notably a tree, the wood of which, when polished, resembles

veined marble, and another, rivaling in beauty the feathers in a

peacock's tail. Precious metals abound, although systematic effort

has never been directed to the locating of paying veins. Rivers and

rivulets are plenty, and water-power is abundant; and the regime

should see the installation of power plants and electric lighting

all over the island, within a short time after occupation. On the

lowlands, large tracts of pasturage under guinea grass and malojilla

feed thousands of sleek cattle, but, as an article of food, mutton

is almost unknown. The native pony, small, wiry and untirable,

has a world-wide reputation, and for long journeys is unequaled,

possessing a gait, as they say in the island, like an arm-chair.

"Perhaps a third of the population of the island is of African

descent; but, strangely enough, the colored people are only to be

found on the coast, and are the fishermen, boatmen and laborers of

the seaports. The cultivation of the crops is entirely in the hands

of the jibaro, or peasant, who is seldom of direct Spanish descent,

while the financiering and exportation is conducted almost entirely by

peninsulares, or Spanish-born colonists, who monopolize every branch

of commerce to the exclusion of the colonian-born subject.

"Coffee planting is largely engaged in, returning from ten to fifteen

per cent. on capital. Improved transportation facilities, abolition of

export dues and the consolidation of small estates would, doubtless,

help toward better results. This crop is marketed in Europe--London,

Havre and Barcelona--where better prices are obtainable than in New

York. With the exception of a few plantations in strong hands, most

of this property could be purchased at a fair valuation, and would

prove to be a very profitable investment.

"Cocoa grows wild on the lowlands, but has not been cultivated to

any appreciable extent. Small consignments sent to Europe have been

pronounced superior to the Caracas bean. The tree takes a longer

period than coffee to come to maturity and bear fruit; but once in

bearing the current expenses are less and the yield far greater. The

same remarks apply to the cultivation of rubber, which, although a

most profitable staple with an ever-increasing market, has received

no attention whatever.

"Corn is raised in quantities insufficient for home consumption. Of

this cereal three crops can be obtained in two years; sometimes two

a year. The demand is constant, and the price always remunerative.

"In Porto Rico, as in most other West Indian islands, sugar is

king. In the treatment of this product the lack of capital has been

sadly felt. Planters possess only the most primitive machinery, and in

the extraction of the juice from the cane the proportion of saccharine

matter has been exceedingly small. Great outlay is necessary for the

installation of a complete modern crushing and centrifugal plant."

A flattering picture of our new possessions is drawn in McClure's

Magazine, by Mr. George B. Waldron.

"Here, then, are Cuba and Porto Rico in the Atlantic, and the

Hawaiian and Philippine groups in the Pacific, whose destiny has

become intertwined with our own. Their combined area is 168,000

square miles, equaling New England, New York, Pennsylvania, and New

Jersey. Their population is about 10,000,000, or perhaps one-half of

that of these nine home States. The Philippines, with three-quarters

of the entire population, and Porto Rico, with 800,000 people, alone

approach our own Eastern States in density. Cuba, prior to the war,

was about as well populated as Virginia, and the Hawaiian group is

as well peopled as Kansas. What, then, can these islands do for us?

"Americans use more sugar in proportion to population than any other

nation of the world. The total consumption last year was not less than

2,500,000 tons. This is enough to make a pyramid that would overtop the

tallest pyramid of Egyptian fame. Of this total, 2,200,000 tons came

from foreign countries, the Spanish possessions and Hawaii sending

about twenty-five per cent. Five years earlier, when our imports

were less by half a million tons, these islands supplied double

this quantity, or nearly two-thirds of the nation's entire sugar

import. But that was before Cuba had been devastated by war and when

she was exporting 1,100,000 tons of sugar to other countries. Restore

Cuba to her former fertility, and the total sugar crop of these islands

will reach 1,500,000 tons, or two-thirds our present foreign demand."

There is much more in Mr. Waldron's summary of the vast addition that

has been made to our resources, by the occupation and possession of the

islands that have recently been gathered under our wings by the force

of our arms. It is enough to know that with the tropical islands we

have gained, we have in our hands the potentialities, the luxuries,

the boundless resources including, as we may, and must, Alaska, of

all the zones of the great globe that we inhabit in such ample measure.

The following notes were compiled for the information of the army,

and embody all reliable information available.

The notes were intended to supplement the military map of Porto

Rico. The following books and works were consulted and matter from them

freely used in the preparation of the notes: Guia Geografico Militar

de Espana y Provincias Ultramarinas, 1879; Espana, sus Monumentos

y Artes, su Naturaleza e Historia, 1887; Compendio de Geografia

Militar de Espana y Portugal, 1882; Anuario de Comercio de Espana,

1896; Anuario Militar de Espana, 1898; Reclus, Nouvelle Geographic

Universelle, 1891; Advance Sheets American Consular Reports, 1898;

An Account of the Present State of the Island of Porto Rico, 1834;

The Statesman's Year Book, 1898.

Situation.--Porto Rico is situated in the Torrid Zone, in the

easternmost part of the Antilles, between latitude 17 deg. 54 min. and

18 deg. 30 min. 40 sec. N. and longitude 61 deg. 54 min. 26 sec. and

63 deg. 32 min. 32 sec. W. of Madrid. It is bounded on the north

by the Atlantic, on the east and south by the sea of the Antilles,

and on the west by the Mona Channel.

Size.--The island of Porto Rico, the fourth in size of the Antilles,

has, according to a recent report of the British consul (1897),

an extent of about 3,668 square miles--35 miles broad and 95 miles

long. It is of an oblong form., extending from east to west.

Population.--Porto Rico is the first among the Antilles in density of

population and in prosperity. The Statesman's Year Book, 1898, gives

the population (1887) at 813,937, of which over 300,000 are negroes,

this being one of the few countries of tropical America where the

number of whites exceeds that of other races. The whites and colored,

however, are all striving in the same movement of civilization, and

are gradually becoming more alike in ideas and manners. Among the

white population the number of males exceeds the number of females,

which is the contrary of all European countries. This is partly

explained by the fact that the immigrants are mostly males. On an

average the births exceed the deaths by double. The eastern portion

of the island is less populous than the western.

Soil.--The ground is very fertile, being suitable for the cultivation

of cane, coffee, rice, and other products raised in Cuba, which island

Porto Rico resembles in richness and fertility.

Climate.--The climate is hot and moist, the medium temperature reaching

104 degs. F. Constant rains and winds from the east cool the heavy

atmosphere of the low regions. On the heights of the Central Cordillera

the temperature is healthy and agreeable.

Iron rusts and becomes consumed, so that nothing can be constructed

of this metal. Even bronze artillery has to be covered with a strong

varnish to protect it from the damp winds.

Although one would suppose that all the large islands in the Tropics

enjoyed the same climate, yet from the greater mortality observed in

Jamaica, St. Domingo, and Cuba, as compared with Porto Rico, one is

inclined to believe that this latter island is much more congenial

than any of the former to the health of Europeans. The heat, the

rains, and the seasons are, with very trifling variations, the same

in all. But the number of mountains and running streams, which are

everywhere in view in Porto Rico, and the general cultivation of the

land, may powerfully contribute to purify the atmosphere and render it

salubrious to man. The only difference of temperature to be observed

throughout the island is due to altitude, a change which is common

to every country under the influence of the Tropics.

In the mountains the inhabitants enjoy the coolness of spring, while

the valleys would be uninhabitable were it not for the daily breeze

which blows generally from the northeast and east. For example, in

Ponce the noonday sun is felt in all its rigor, while at the village

of Adjuntas, 4 leagues distant in the interior of the mountains, the

traveler feels invigorated by the refreshing breezes of a temperate

clime. At one place the thermometers is as high as 90 deg., while in

another it is sometimes under 60 deg. Although the seasons are not so

distinctly marked in this climate as they are in Europe (the trees

being always green), yet there is a distinction to be made between

them. The division into wet and dry seasons (winter and summer)

does not give a proper idea of the seasons in this island; for on

the north coast it sometimes rains almost the whole year, while

sometimes for twelve or fourteen months not a drop of rain falls on

the south coast. However, in the mountains at the south there are

daily showers. Last year, for example, in the months of November,

December, and January the north winds blew with violence, accompanied

by heavy showers of rain, while this year (1832) in the same months,

it has scarcely blown a whole day from that point of the compass, nor

has it rained for a whole month. Therefore, the climate of the north

and south coasts of this island, although under the same tropical

influence, are essentially different.

As in all tropical countries, the year is divided into two seasons--the

dry and the rainy. In general, the rainy season commences in August

and ends the last of December, southerly and westerly winds prevailing

during this period. The rainfall is excessive, often inundating fields

and forming extensive lagoons. The exhalations from these lagoons

give rise to a number of diseases, but, nevertheless, Porto Rico is

one of the healthiest islands of the archipelago.

In the month of May the rains commence, not with the fury of a deluge,

as in the months of August and September, but heavier than any rain

experienced in Europe. Peals of thunder reverberating through the

mountains give a warning of their approach, and the sun breaking

through the clouds promotes the prolific vegetation of the fields with

its vivifying heat. The heat at this season is equal to the summer of

Europe, and the nights are cool and pleasant; but the dews are heavy

and pernicious to health. The following meteorological observations,

carefully made by Don Jose Ma. Vertez, a Captain of the Spanish navy,

will exhibit the average range of temperature:

Ds of heat observed in the capital of Porto Rico, taking a medium of

five years.

Degrees of Heat Observed in the Capital of Porto Rico, Taking a Medium

of Five Years.

Hours of the Day. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May. June. July. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.

Seven in the morning 72 72 1/2 74 78 78 82 85 86 80 1/2 77 75 75

Noon 82 81 82 83 85 86 90 92 88 85 84 80

Five in the evening 78 74 78 80 81 84 87 90 83 82 80 79

The weather, after a fifteen or twenty days' rain, clears up and the

sun, whose heat has been hitherto moderated by partial clouds and

showers of rain, seems, as it were, set in a cloudless sky. The cattle

in the pastures look for the shade of the trees, and a perfect calm

pervades the whole face of nature from sunrise till between 10 and 11

o'clock in the morning, when the sea breeze sets in. The leaves of the

trees seem as if afraid to move, and the sea, without a wave or ruffle

on its vast expanse, appears like an immense mirror. Man partakes in

the general languor as well as the vegetable and brute creation.

The nights, although warm, are delightfully clear and serene at

this season. Objects may be clearly distinguished at the distance of

several hundred yards, so that one may even shoot by moonlight. The

months of June and July offer very little variation in the weather or

temperature. In August a suffocating heat reigns throughout the day,

and at night it is useless to seek for coolness; a faint zephyr is

succeeded by a calm of several hours. The atmosphere is heavy and

oppressive, and the body, weakened by perspiration, becomes languid;

the appetite fails, and the mosquitos, buzzing about the ears by day

and night, perplex and annoy by their stings, while the fevers of the

tropics attack Europeans with sudden and irresistible violence. This

is the most sickly season for the European. The thermometer frequently

exceeds 90 deg. The clouds exhibit a menacing appearance, portending

the approach of the heavy autumnal rains, which pour down like

a deluge. About the middle of September it appears as if all the

vapors of the ocean had accumulated in one point of the heavens. The

rain comes down like an immense quantity of water poured through a

sieve; it excludes from the view every surrounding object, and in

half an hour the whole surface of the earth becomes an immense sheet

of water. The rivers are swollen and overflow their banks, the low

lands are completely inundated, and the smallest brooks become deep

and rapid torrents.

In the month of October the weather becomes sensibly cooler than

during the preceding months, and in November the north and northeast

winds generally set in, diffusing an agreeable coolness through the

surrounding atmosphere. The body becomes braced and active, and the

convalescent feels its genial influence. The north wind is accompanied

(with few exceptions) by heavy showers of rain on the north coast;

and the sea rolls on that coast with tempestuous violence, while the

south coast remains perfectly calm.

When the fury of the north wind abates, it is succeeded by fine

weather and a clear sky. Nothing can exceed the climate of Porto

Rico at this season; one can only compare it to the month of May in

the delightful Province of Andalusia, where the cold of winter and

the burning heat of summer are tempered by the cool freshness of

spring. This is considered to be the healthiest season of the year,

when a European may visit the tropics without fear.

The small islands, destitute of wood and high mountains, which have a

powerful effect in attracting the clouds, suffer much from drought. It

sometimes happens that in Curacao, St. Bartholomews, and other islands

there are whole years without a drop of rain, and after exhausting

their cisterns the inhabitants are compelled to import water from

the rivers of other islands.

"The land breeze" is an advantage which the large islands derive

from the inequality of their surface; for as soon as the sea breeze

dies away, the hot air of the valleys being rarified, ascends toward

the tops of the mountains, and is there condensed by cold, which

makes it specifically heavier than it was before; it then descends

back to the valleys on both sides of the ridge. Hence a night wind

(blowing on all sides from the land toward the shore) is felt in all

the mountainous countries under the torrid zone. On the north shore

the wind comes from the south, and on the south shore from the north.

Storms.--The hurricanes which visit the island, and which obey the

general laws of tropical cyclones, are one of the worst scourges of the

country. For hours before the appearance of this terrible phenomenon

the sea appears calm; the waves come from a long distance very gently

until near the shore, when they suddenly rise as if impelled by a

superior force, dashing against the land with extraordinary violence

and fearful noise. Together with this sign, the air is noticed to be

disturbed, the sun red, and the stars obscured by vapor which seems

to magnify them. A strong odor is perceived in the sea, which is

sulphureous in the waters of rivers, and there are sudden changes in

the wind. These omens, together with the signs of uneasiness manifested

by various animals, foretell the proximity of a hurricane.

This is a sort of whirlwind, accompanied by rain, thunder and

lightning, sometimes by earthquake shocks, and always by the most

terrible and devastating circumstances that can possibly combine to

ruin a country in a few hours. A clear, serene day is followed by the

darkest night; the delightful view offered by woods and prairies is

diverted into the deary waste of a cruel winter; the tallest and most

robust cedar trees are uprooted, broken off bodily, and hurled into

a heap; roofs, balconies, and windows of houses are carried through

the air like dry leaves, and in all directions are seen houses and

estates laid waste and thrown into confusion.

The fierce roar of the water and of the trees being destroyed by the

winds, the cries and moans of persons, the bellowing of cattle and

neighing of horses, which are being carried from place to place by

the whirlwinds, the torrents of water inundating the fields, and a

deluge of fire being let loose in flashes and streaks of lightning,

seem to announce the last convulsions of the universe and the death

agonies of nature itself.

Sometimes these hurricanes are felt only on the north coast, at

others on the south coast, although generally their influence extends

throughout the island.

In 1825 a hurricane destroyed the towns of Patillas, Maunabo, Yabucoa,

Humacao, Gurabo, and Caguas, causing much damage in other towns in

the east, north, and center of the island. The island was also visited

by a terrible hurricane in 1772.

Earthquakes.--Earthquakes are somewhat frequent, but not violent or

of great consequence. The natives foretell them by noticing clouds

settle near the ground for some time in the open places among the

mountains. The water of the springs emits a sulphurous odor or leaves

a strange taste in the mouth; birds gather in large flocks and fly

about uttering shriller cries than usual; cattle bellow and horses

neigh, etc. A few hours beforehand the air becomes calm and dimmed by

vapors which arise from the ground, and a few moments before there is a

slight breeze, followed at intervals of two or three minutes by a deep

rumbling noise, accompanied by a sudden gust of wind, which are the

forerunners of the vibration, the latter following immediately. These

shocks are sometimes violent and are usually repeated, but owing to

the special construction of the houses, they cause no damage.

Tides.--For seven hours the tide runs rapidly in a northwest direction,

returning in the opposite direction with equal rapidity for five hours.

Orography.--The general relief of Porto Rico is much inferior in

altitude to that of the rest of the Great Antilles, and even some of

the Lesser Antilles have mountain summits which rival it.

A great chain of mountains divides the islands into two parts, northern

and southern, which are called by the natives Banda del Norte and

Banda del Sur. This chain sends out long ramifications toward the

coasts, the interstices of which form beautiful and fertile valleys,

composed in the high parts of white and red earths, on the spurs of

black and weaker earths, and near the coasts of sand.

To the northwest and following a direction almost parallel with the

northern coast, the Sierra of Lares extends from Aguadilla to the

town of Lares, where it divides into two branches, one going north

nearly to the coast, near Arecibo harbor, and the other extending

to the spurs of the Sierra Grande de Banos; this latter starting

from Point Guaniquilla, crosses the island in its entire length,

its last third forming the Sierra of Cayey.

The whole island may be said to form a continuous network of sierras,

hills, and heights. Of these the Sierra del Loquillo is distinguished

for its great altitude (the highest peak being Yunque, in the northeast

corner of the island and visible from the sea, a distance of 120

kilometers), as is also Laivonito Mountain, near the south coast.

The following are the four highest mountains, with their heights above

the sea level: Yunque, in Luquillo, 1,290 yards; Guilarte, in Adjuntas,

1,180 yards; La Somanta, in Aybonito, 1,077 yards; Las Teras de Cerro

Gordo, in San German, 860 yards. All are easily ascended on foot or

horseback, and there are coffee plantations near all of them.

Approximate Height of Towns Above the Sea Level.--Aybonito, with its

acclimatization station, 970 yards; Adjuntas, an almost exclusively

Spanish town, 810 yards; Cayey, with a very agreeable climate,

750 yards; Lares, with a very agreeable climate, 510 yards; Utuado,

with a very agreeable climate, 480 yards; Muricao, an exclusively

Spanish town, 480 yards. To ascend to all these towns there are very

good wagon roads. There are no fortifications of any kind in them,

but they are surrounded on all sides by mountains.

Hydrography.--Few countries of the extent of Porto Rico are watered by

so many streams. Seventeen rivers, taking their rise in the mountains,

cross the valleys of the north coast and empty into the sea. Some of

these are navigable 2 or 3 leagues from their mouths for schooners and

small coasting vessels. Those of Manati, Loisa, Trabajo, and Arecibo

are very deep and broad, and it is difficult to imagine how such large

bodies of water can be collected in so short a course. Owing to the

heavy surf which continually breaks on the north coast, these rivers

have bars across their embouchures which do not allow large vessels

to enter. The rivers of Bayamo and Rio Piedras flow into the harbor

of the capital, and are also navigable for boats. At high water small

brigs may enter the river of Arecibo with perfect safety and discharge

their cargoes, notwithstanding the bar which crosses its mouth.

The rivers of the north coast have a decided advantage over those

of the south coast, where the climate is drier and the rains less

frequent. Nevertheless, the south, west, and east coasts are well

supplied with water; and, although in some seasons it does not rain

for ten, and sometimes twelve months on the south coast, the rivers

are never entirely dried up.

From the Cabeza de San Juan, which is the northeast extremity of

the island, to the cape of Mala Pascua, which lies to the southeast,

9 rivers fall into the sea.

From Cape Mala Pascua to Point Aguila, which forms the southwest angle

of the island, 16 rivers discharge their waters on the south coast.

On the west coast 3 rivers, 5 rivulets, and several fresh-water

lakes communicate with the sea. In the small extent of 330 leagues

of area there are 46 rivers, besides a countless number of rivulets

and branches of navigable water.

The rivers of the north coast are stocked with delicious fish, some

of them large enough to weigh two quintals.

From the river of Arecibo to that of Manati, a distance of 5 leagues,

a fresh-water lagoon, perfectly navigable for small vessels through

the whole of its extent, runs parallel to the sea at about a mile

from the shore.

In the fertile valley of Anasco, on the western coast, there is a

canal formed by nature, deep and navigable. None of the rivers are

of real military importance; for, though considering the shortness of

their course, they attain quite a volume, still it is not sufficient

for good-sized vessels.

The rivers emptying on the north coast are Loisa, Aguas Prietas,

Arecibo, Bayamon, Camuy, Cedros, Grande, Guajaraca de la Tuna,

Lesayas, Loquillo, Manati, Rio Piedras, Sabana, San Martin, Sibuco,

Toa, and Vega.

Those emptying on the east coast are Candelero, Dagua, Fajardo,

Guayanes, Majogua, and Maonabo.

On the south coast: Aquamanil, Caballon, Cana, Coamo, Descalabrado,

Guanica, Guayama, Guayanilla, Jacagua, Manglar, Penuela, Ponce

and Vigia.

On the west coast: Aguada, Boqueron, Cajas, Culebrina, Chico,

Guanajibo, Mayaguez, and Rincon.

The limits of the Loisa river are: On the east, the sierra of

Luquillo (situated near the northeast corner of the island); on the

south, the sierra of Cayey, and on the west, ramifications of the

latter. It rises in the northern slopes of the sierra of Cayey, and,

running in a northwest direction for the first half of its course

and turning to northeast in the second half, it arrives at Loisa,

a port on the northern coast, where it discharges its waters into the

Atlantic. During the first part of its course it is known by the name

of Cayagua.

The Sabana river has, to the east and south, the western and southern

limits of the preceding river, and on the west the Sierra Grande,

or De Barros, which is situated in the center of the general divide,

or watershed. It rises in the sierra of Cayey, and, with the name of

Pinones river, it flows northwest, passing through Aibonito, Toa Alta,

Toa Baja, and Dorado, where it discharges into the Atlantic to the

west of the preceding river.

The Manati river is bounded on the cast and south by the Sierra Grande

and on the west by the Siales ridge. It rises in the Sierra Grande,

and parallel with the preceding river, it flows through Siales and

Manati, to the north of which latter town it empties into the Atlantic.

The Arecibo river is bounded on the east by the Siales mountain

ridge, on the south by the western extremity of the Sierra Grande,

and on the west by the Lares ridge. It rises in the general divide,

near Adjuntas, and flows north through the town of Arecibo to the

Atlantic, shortly before emptying into which it receives the Tanama

river from the left, which proceeds from the Lares Mountains.

The Culebrina river is bounded on the south and east by the

Lares mountain ridge, and on the north by small hills of little

interest. From the Lares Mountains it flows from east to west and

empties on the west coast north of San Francisco de la Aguada, in

the center of the bay formed between Point Penas Blancas and Point

San Francisco.

The Anasco river is formed by the Lares mountain ridge. It rises in

the eastern extremity of the mountains called Tetas de Cerro Gordo,

flowing first northwest and then west, through the town of its name

and thence to the sea.

The Guanajivo river has to its north the ramifications of the Lares

ridge, to the east the Tetas de Cerro Gordo Mountains, and on the

south Torre Hill. In the interior of its basin is the mountain called

Cerro Montuoso, which separates its waters from those of its affluent

from the right, the Rosaria river. It rises in the general divide,

flowing from east to west to Nuestra Senora de Montserrat, where it

receives the affluent mentioned, the two together then emptying south

of Port Mayaguez.

The Coamo river is bounded on the west and north by the Sierra Grande,

and on the west by the Coamo ridge. It rises in the former of these

sierras, and flowing from north to south it empties east of Coamo

Point, after having watered the town of its name.

The Salinas river is bounded on the west by the Coamo ridge, on the

north by the general divide, and on the east by the Cayey ridge. It

rises in the southern slopes of the Sierra Grande and flowing from

north to south through Salinas de Coamo, empties into the sea.

Coasts, Harbors, Bays, and Coves.--The northern coast extends in an

almost straight line from east to west, and is high and rugged. The

only harbors it has are the following: San Juan de Porto Rico,

surrounded by mangrove swamps and protected by the Cabras and

the Cabritas islands and some very dangerous banks; the anchoring

ground of Arecibo, somewhat unprotected; and the coves of Cangrejos

and Condado. During the months of November, December, and January,

when the wind blows with violence from the east and northeast, the

anchorage is dangerous in all the bays and harbors of this coast,

except in the port of San Juan. Vessels are often obliged to put to

sea on the menacing aspect of the heavens at this season, to avoid

being driven on shore by the heavy squalls and the rolling waves

of a boisterous sea, which propel them to destruction. During the

remaining months the ports on this coast are safe and commodious,

unless when visited by a hurricane, against whose fury no port can

offer a shelter, nor any vessel be secure. The excellent port of San

Juan is perfectly sheltered from the effects of the north wind. The

hill, upon which the town of that name and the fortifications which

defend it are built, protects the vessels anchored in the harbor. The

entrance of this port is narrow, and requires a pilot; for the canal

which leads to the anchorage, although deep enough for vessels of any

dimensions, is very narrow, which exposes them to run aground. This

port is several miles in extent, and has the advantage of having deep

canals to the east, among a wood of mangrove trees, where vessels

are perfectly secure during the hurricane months. Vessels of 250 tons

can at present unload and take in their cargoes at the wharf. Harbor

improvements have been recently made here.

On the northwest and west are the coves of Aguadilla, the town of

this name being some 4 kilometers inland. There are the small coves

of Rincon, Anasco, and Mayaguez, the latter being protected and of

sufficient depth to anchor vessels of moderate draft; the harbor of

Real de Cabo Rojo, nearly round, and entered by a narrow channel;

and the cove of Boqueron. The spacious bay of Aguadilla is formed by

Cape Borrigua and Cape San Francisco. When the north-northwest and

southwest winds prevail it is not a safe anchorage for ships. A heavy

surf rolling on the shore obliges vessels to seek safety by putting

to sea on the appearance of a north wind. Mayaguez is also an open

roadstead formed by two projecting capes. It has good anchorage

for vessels of a large size and is well sheltered from the north

winds. The port of Cabo Rojo has also good anchorage. It is situated

S. one-fourth N. of the point of Guanajico, at a distance of 5 1/2

miles. Its shape is nearly circular, and it extends from east to west

3 to 4 miles. At the entrance it has 3 fathoms of water, and 16 feet

in the middle of the harbor. The entrance is a narrow canal.

The south coast abounds in bays and harbors, but is covered with

mangroves and reefs, the only harbor where vessels of regular draft can

enter being Guanica and Ponce. The former of these is the westernmost

harbor on the southern coast, being at the same time the best, though

the least visited, owing to the swamps and low tracts difficult to

cross leading from it to the interior. The nearest towns, San German,

Sabana Grande, and Yauco, carry on a small trade through this port.

In the port of Guanica, vessels drawing 21 feet of water may enter with

perfect safety. Its entrance is about 100 yards wide, and it forms a

spacious basin, completely landlocked. The vessels may anchor close to

the shore. It has, in the whole extent, from 6 1/2 to 3 fathoms, the

latter depth being formed in the exterior of the port. The entrance is

commanded by two small hills on either side, which if mounted with a

few pieces of artillery would defy a squadron to force it. This port

would be of immense advantage in time of war. The national vessels

and coasters would thus have a secure retreat from an enemy's cruiser

on the south coast. There are no wharves, but vessels could disembark

troops by running alongside the land and running out a plank. Coamo

Cove and Aguirre and Guayama are also harbors. The port of Jovos,

near Guayama, is a haven of considerable importance. It is a large

and healthy place, and the most Spanish of any city on the island

after San Juan. There are good roads to the capital. Vessels of the

largest kind may anchor and ride in safety from the winds, and the

whole British navy would find room in its spacious bosom. It has 4

fathoms of water in the shallowest part of the entrance. However,

it is difficult to enter this port from June to November, as the sea

breaks with violence at the entrance, on account of the southerly winds

which reign at that season. It has every convenience of situation and

locality for forming docks for the repair of shipping. The large bay

of Anasco, on the south coast, affords anchorage to vessels of all

sizes. It is also safe from the north winds. Although on the eastern

coast there are many places for vessels to anchor, yet none of them

are exempt from danger during the north winds except Fajardo, where a

safe anchorage is to be found to leeward of two little islands close

to the bay, where vessels are completely sheltered.

The island of Vieques has also several commodious ports and harbors,

where vessels of the largest size may ride at anchor.

On the east coast is Cape Cabeza de San Juan, Points Lima, Candeleros,

and Naranjo, and Cape Mala Pascua; on the south coast, Point Viento,

Tigueras, Corchones, Arenas, Fama or Maria, Cucharas, Guayanilla,

Guanica, and Morillos de Cabo Rojo; on the west coast, points San

Francisco, Cadena, Guanijito, Guaniquilla, and Palo Seco.

Highways.--There are few roads or ways of communication which

are worthy of mention, with the exception of the broad pike which

starts from the capital and runs along the coast, passing through the

following towns: Aguadilla, Bayamon, Cabo Rojo, Ilumacao, Juana Diaz,

Mayaguez, Ponce, and San German. It has no bridges; is good in dry

weather, but in the rainy season is impassible for wagons and even

at times for horsemen.

For interior communication there are only a few local roads or

paths. They are usually 2 yards in width, made by the various owners,

and can not be well traveled in rainy weather. They are more properly

horse and mule trails, and oblige people to go in single file. In

late years much has been attempted to improve the highways connecting

the principal cities, and more has been accomplished than in Spanish

colonies. There is a good made road connecting Ponce on the southern

coast with San Juan the capital. Other good roads also extend for a

short distance along the north coast and along the south coast. The

road from Guayama is also said to be a passably good one.

There are in the island about 150 miles of excellent road, and this

is all that receives any attention, transportation being effected

elsewhere on horse back. In the construction of a road level foundation

is sought, and on this is put a heavy layer of crushed rock and brick,

which, after having been well packed and rounded, is covered with

a layer of earth. This is well packed also, and upon the whole is

spread a layer of ground limestone, which is pressed and rolled until

it forms almost a glossy surface. This makes an excellent road here

where the climate is such that it does not affect it, and when there

is no heavy traffic, hut these conditions being changed, the road,

it is thought, would not stand so well.

From Palo Seco, situated about a mile and a half from the capital,

on the opposite side of the bay, a carriage road, perfectly level,

has been constructed for a distance of 22 leagues to the town of

Aguadilla on the west coast, passing through the towns of Vegabaja,

Manati, Arecibo, Hatillo, Camuy, and Isabella. This road has been

carried for several leagues over swampy lands, which are intersected

by deep drains to carry off the water.

The road from Aguadilla to Mayaguez is in some parts very good,

in other parts only fair. From Aguadilla to Aguada, a distance of a

league, the road is excellent and level. From thence to Mayaguez,

through the village of Rincon and the town of Anasco, the road is

generally good, but on the seashore it is sometimes interrupted by

shelving rocks. Across the valley of Anasco the road is carried

through a boggy tract, with bridges over several deep creeks of

fresh water. From thence to the large commercial town of Mayaguez

the road is uneven and requires some improvement. But the roads from

Mayaguez and Ponce to their respective ports on the seashore can not

be surpassed by any in Europe. They are made in a most substantial

manner, and their convex form is well adapted to preserve them from

the destruction caused by the heavy rains of the climate. These

roads have been made over tracts of swampy ground to the seacoast,

but with little and timely repair they will last forever.

A road, which may be called a carriage road, has been made from Ponce

to the village of Adjuntas, situated 5 leagues in the interior of the

mountains. The road along the coast, from Ponce to Guayama, is fairly

good; from thence to Patillas there is an excellent carriage road for

a distance of 3 leagues; from the latter place to the coast is a high

road well constructed. From Patillas to Fajardo, on the eastern coast,

passing through the towns of Maimavo, Yubacao, Ilumacao, and Naguabo,

the roads are not calculated for wheel vehicles, in consequence of

being obliged to ascend and descend several steep hills. That which

crosses the mountain of Mala Pascua, dividing the north and east

coasts, is a good and solid road, upon which a person on horseback

may travel with great ease and safety. The road crossing the valley

of Yubacao, which consists of a soft and humid soil, requires more

attention than that crossing the mountain of Mala Pascua, which has

a fine, sandy soil.

From Fajardo to the capital, through the towns of Luquillo, Loisa, and

Rio Piedras, the road is tolerably good for persons on horseback as far

as Rio Piedras, and from thence to the city of San Juan, a distance of

2 leagues, is an excellent carriage road, made by the order and under

the inspection of the Captain-General, part of it through a mangrove

swamp. Over the river Loisa is a handsome wooden bridge, and on the

road near Rio Piedras is a handsome stone one over a deep rivulet.

One of the best roads in the island extends from the town of Papino,

situated in the mountains, to the town of Aguadilla on the coast,

distant 5 1/2 leagues, through the village of La Moca; in the distance

of 3 leagues from the latter place, it is crossed by 10 deep mountain

rivulets, formerly impassable, but over which solid bridges have now

been built, with side railings. In the mountainous district within

the circumference of a few leagues no less than 47 bridges have been

built to facilitate the communication between one place and the other.

The following are the roads of 6 meters width, 4 1/2 in center of

pounded stone. They have iron bridges and are in good shape for travel

all the year.

(1) San Juan to the Shore near Ponce.--From San Juan to Ponce the

central road is exactly 134 kilometers. Distances along the line are:

Rio Piedras, 11 Caguas, 25; to Cayei, 21; Aybonito, 20; Coamo, 18;

Juana Diaz, 20; to Ponce, 13; and to the shore, 3. Exact.

(2) San Juan to Bayamon.--By ferry fifteen minutes to Catano, and

from there by road to Bayamon 10 kilometers. This passes alongside

the railway.

(3) Rio Piedras to Mameyes, 36 kilometers; from Rio Piedras to

Carolina, 12; to Rio Grande, 19; to Mameyes, 5.

(4) Cayei to Arroyo, 35 kilometers; from Cayei to Guayama, 25; to

Arroyo, 8; from San Juan to Arroyo, via Cayei, is 95 kilometers.

(5 Ponce to Adjuntas, 32 kilometers.

(6) San German to Anasco, 33 kilometers; from San German to Mayaguez,

21 kilometers; Mayaguez to Anasco, 12; Mayaguez to Mormigueros, 11;

Mayaguez to Cabo Eojo, 18; Mayaguez to Las Marias, 23; Mayaguez to

Maricao, 35; Hor- migueras to San German, 14. Near Mayaguez the roads

are best. There are good roads in all directions.

(7) Aguadilla to San Sebastian, 18.

(8) Arecibo to Utuado, 33.

Highways of first class in the island, 335 kilometers.

Along these roads are, at a distance of 8 to 10 kilometers, a fort,

stone, and brick barracks, or large buildings, where the Spanish

troops stop and rest when on the march.

Railroads.--In 1878 a report was presented to the minister of the

colonies on a study made by the engineer and head of public works of

the island in view of constructing a railroad which should start from

the capital and, passing through all the chief towns and through the

whole island, return to the point of departure.

Of this railroad the following parts have been completed: San Juan,

along the coast through Rio Piedras, Bayamon, Dorado, Arecibo, and

Hatillo, to Camuy; Aguadilla, through Aguado, Rincon, Anasco, and

Mayaguez, to Hornigueros. A branch of this railroad from Anasco,

through San Sebastian, to Lares. Ponce, through Guayanilla, to

Yauco. This latter railroad follows the southern coast line and

is followed by a wagon road throughout its course. In one place

the railroad and road run within a few hundred yards of the coast

line. According to the Statesman's Year Book for 1898 there are

in operation 137 miles of railroad, besides over 170 miles under

construction.

All the railroads are single track, and the gauge is 1 meter 20

centimeters, or 3 feet 11 1/4 inches.

The following are the railways of 1-meter gauge:

(1) San Juan to Rio Piedras, 11 kilometers. (2) Catano to Bayamon,

10 kilometers. (3) Anasco to San Sebastian and Lares, 35 kilometers.

Total of three lines, 56 kilometers.

The lines are all in good shape; have plenty of engines and cars;

speed, 20 kilometers per hour; use coal for fuel imported from the

United States; supply usually large, may be small now; hard coal;

fine stations; plenty of water, and everything in shape for business.

Telegraphs.--The capital communicates with the principal towns of the

coast and interior by means of a well-connected telegraph system. There

are in all some 470 miles of telegraph.

Telephones.--The British Consular Report says that the telephone system

of San Juan, Ponce, and Mayaguez have recently been contracted for

by local syndicates. In Ponce a United States company obtained the

contract for the material. There are 100 stations already connected,

and it is expected that 200 more will be in operation shortly.

Administration.--From an administrative standpoint, Porto Rico is

not considered as a colony, but as a province of Spain, assimilated

to the remaining provinces. The Governor-General, representing the

monarchy, is at the same time Captain-General of the armed forces. In

each chief town resides a military commander, and each town has its

alcalde, or mayor, appointed by the central power. The provincial

deputation is elected by popular suffrage under the same conditions as

in Spain. The regular peace garrison is composed of about 3,000 men,

and the annual budget amounts to some 20,000,000 pesos.

Education.--In 1887 only one-seventh of the population could read and

write, but of late years progress in public instruction has been rapid.

Agriculture, Industry, and Commerce.--In 1878 there arrived in the

harbors of the island 1,591 vessels of different nationalities and

1,534 departed. The value of products imported was 14,787,551 pesos,

and that of articles exported was 13,070,020 pesos. The following

are the relative percentages of values:

Flags. Relation.

Per Cent.

Spanish 49.91

American 13.47

English 21.43

Various Nations 15.19

=======

Total 100.00

Navigation is very active, but the part the inhabitants take in

the commercial fleet is small. The Porto Ricans are not seagoing

people. The eastern part of the island offers less advantage to

commerce than the western, being to the windward and affording less

shelter to vessels.

Porto Rico has more than seventy towns and cities, of which Ponce is

the most important. Ponce has 22,000 inhabitants, with a jurisdiction

numbering 47,000. It is situated on the south coast of the island,

on a plain, about 2 miles from the seaboard. It is the chief town of

the judicial district of its name, and is 70 miles from San Juan. It is

regularly built, the central part almost exclusively of brick houses,

and the suburbs of wood. It is the residence of the military commander,

and the seat of an official chamber of commerce. There is an appellate

criminal court, besides other courts; 2 churches, one Protestant,

said to be the only one in the Spanish West, Indies; 2 hospitals

besides the military hospital, a home of refuge for old and poor,

2 cemeteries, 3 asylums, several casinos, 3 theaters, a market, a

municipal public library, 3 first-class hotels, 3 barracks, a park,

gas works, a perfectly equipped fire department, a bank, thermal

and natural baths, etc. Commercially, Ponce is the second city of

importance on the island. A fine road leads to the port (Playa),

where all the import and export trade is transacted. Playa has about

5,000 inhabitants, and here are situated the custom house, the office

of the captain of the port, and all the consular offices. The port

is spacious and will hold vessels of 25 feet draft. The climate,

on account of the sea breezes during the day and land breezes at

night, is not oppressive, but very hot and dry; and, as water for

all purposes, including the fire department, is amply supplied by

an aqueduct 4,442 yards long, it is said that the city of Ponce is

perhaps the healthiest place in the whole island. There is a stage

coach to San Juan, Mayaguez, Guayama, etc. There is a railroad to

Yauco, a post office, and a telegraph station.

It is believed that Ponce was founded in 1600; it was given the title

of villa in 1848, and in 1877 that of city. Of its 34 streets the best

are Mayor, Salud, Villa, Vives, Marina, and Comercio. The best squares

are Principal and Las Delicias, which are separated by the church of

Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe. The church, as old as the town itself,

began to be reconstructed in 1838 and was finished in 1847. It is

86 yards long by 43 broad, and has two steeples, rich altars, and

fine ornaments.

The theater is called the Pearl, and it deserves this name, for it is

the finest on the island. It has a sculptured porch, on the Byzantine

order, with very graceful columns. It is mostly built of iron and

marble and cost over 70,000 pesos. It is 52 yards deep by 29 wide. The

inside is beautiful, the boxes and seats roomy and nicely decorated. It

may, by a mechanical arrangement, be converted into a dancing hall.

About 1 1/8 miles northeast of the town are the Quintana thermal

baths, in a building surrounded by pretty gardens. They are visited

by sufferers from rheumatism and various other diseases.

San Juan is a perfect specimen of a walled town, with portcullis, moat,

gates, and battlements. The wall surrounding this town is defended

by several batteries. Facing the harbor are those of San Fernando,

Santa Catalina, and Santa Toribio. Looking toward the land side is

Fort Abanico, and toward the ocean the batteries of San Antonio,

San Jose, and Santa Teresa, and Fort Princesa. The land part has two

ditches, or cuts, which are easy to inundate. The fort and bridge of

San Antonio that of San Geronimo, and the Escambron battery situated

on a tongue of land which enters the sea. Built over two hundred and

fifty years ago, the city is still in good condition and repair. The

walls are picturesque, and represent a stupendous work and cost in

themselves. Inside the walls the city is laid off in regular squares,

six parallel streets running in the direction of the length of the

island and seven at right angles.

The peninsula on which San Juan is situated is connected with the

mainland by three bridges. The oldest, that of San Antonio, carries the

highway across the shallow San Antonio Channel. It is a stone-arched

bridge about 350 yards long including the approaches. By the side

of this bridge is one for the railroad and one for the tramway which

follows the main military highway to Rio Piedras.

Among the buildings the following are notable: The palace of the

Captain-General, the palace of the intendencia, the town hall,

military hospital, jail, Ballaja barracks, theater, custom house,

cathedral, Episcopal palace, and seminary. There is no university

or provincial institute of second grade instruction, and only one

college, which is under the direction of Jesuit priests. The houses

are closely and compactly built of brick, usually of two stories,

stuccoed on the outside and painted in a variety of colors. The upper

floors are occupied by the more respectable people, while the ground

floors, almost without exception, are given up to the negroes and the

poorer class, who crowd one upon another in the most appalling manner.

The population within the walls is estimated at 20,000 and most of it

lives on the ground floor. In one small room, with a flimsy partition,

a whole family will reside. The ground floor of the whole town reeks

with filth, and conditions are most unsanitary. In a tropical country,

where disease readily prevails, the consequences of such herding may

be easily inferred. There is no running water in the town. The entire

population depend upon rain water, caught upon the flat roofs of the

buildings and conducted to the cistern, which occupies the greater part

of the inner court-yard that is an essential part of Spanish houses

the world over, but that here, on account of the crowded conditions,

is very small. There is no sewerage, except for surface water and

sinks, while vaults are in every house and occupy whatever remaining

space there may be in the patios not taken up by the cisterns. The

risk of contaminating the water is very great, and in dry seasons

the supply is entirely exhausted. Epidemics are frequent, and the

town is alive with vermin, fleas, cockroaches, mosquitoes, and dogs.

The streets are wider than in the older part of Havana, and will

admit two carriages abreast. The sidewalks are narrow, and in places

will accommodate but one person. The pavements are of a composition

manufactured in England from slag, pleasant and even, and durable

when no heavy strain is brought to bear upon them, but easily broken,

and unfit for heavy traffic. The streets are swept once a day by hand,

and, strange to say, are kept very clean.

From its topographical situation the town should be healthy, but it

is not. The soil under the city is clay mixed with lime, so hard as

to be almost like rock. It is consequently impervious to water and

furnishes a good natural drainage.

The trade wind blows strong and fresh, and through the harbor runs

a stream of sea water at a speed of not less than three miles an

hour. With these conditions no contagious diseases, if properly taken

care of, could exist; without them the place would be a veritable

plague spot.

Besides the town within the walls there are small portions just

outside, called the Marina and Puerta de Tierra, containing two or

three thousand inhabitants each. There are also two suburbs, one,

San Turce, approached by the only road leading out of the city, and

the other, Catano, across the bay, reached by ferry. The Marina and

the two suburbs are situated on sandy points or spits, and the latter

are surrounded by mangrove swamps.

The entire population of the city and suburbs, according to the census

of 1887, was 27,000. It is now (1896) estimated at 30,000. One-half

of the population consists of negroes and mixed races.

There is but little manufacturing, and it is of small importance. The

Standard Oil Company has a small refinery across the bay, in which

crude petroleum brought from the United States is refined. Matches are

made, some brooms, a little soap, and a cheap class of trunks. There

are also ice, gas, and electric light works.